Texas A&M
Baylor
Volleyball Sweeps Baylor
Nov 15, 2008 | Volleyball
Nov. 15, 2008
Post Game Audio with Coach Corbelli
WACO, Texas - Sarah Ammerman had a match-high 13 kills and Darla Donaldson and Jennifer Banse added 10 kills apiece to lead Texas A&M to a 25-21, 25-22, 25-19 victory over Baylor today in front of 776 at the Ferrell Center.
With the win, A&M improves to 12-14 overall and moves into a three-way tie for fifth place in the Big 12 with a 7-9 conference record. Baylor, which defeated A&M, 3-1, when the teams met earlier this season in College Station, have their two-match winning streak snapped and fall to 16-11, 7-9.
"We feel a great sense of revenge getting to come to Baylor and playing so well and getting a win," A&M coach Kristen Schevikhoven) and our passers to be able to run the middle with Darla hitting .643 and (Kelsey) Bryant getting lots of sets and lots of kills. It just really helps open up the net for us."
A tip kill by Bryant gave A&M a 4-3 lead early in the opening set, and the Aggies would never trail the remainder of the set. Baylor tied the score at four with a kill, but the Bears had a service error and a bad set, and A&M's Mary Batis followed with a solo block against Ashlie Christenson to put the Aggies up, 7-4.
A&M built its biggest lead at 17-12 following a three-point spurt which included both a back-row kill and an ace by Ammerman. Baylor used its own three-point run to cut the lead to 18-16 before Ammerman ended the rally with a kill. After a Baylor attack into the net put the Aggies up, 20-16, the teams began to exchange pairs of points, with Ammerman getting consecutive kills to put the Aggies serving at 24-20. Christenson got a kill off the block before Banse finished off the set with a kill.
In the second set, Baylor rallied for three consecutive points to take its second lead of the stanza, 11-10. The Bears went on to build a three-point lead three times, the last coming at 20-17 before A&M rallied, outscoring the Bears, 7-1, to go up 24-21. With A&M serving for the set, Christenson put down a kill to put the Bears within 24-22 before Ammerman blasted the ball to the floor for the set-winning kill.
A&M trailed 7-5 in the third set before Donaldson sparked a four-point run for the Aggies with a kill and a block with Batis. Baylor later tied the score at 14 but a kill by Batis and a block by Donaldson and Schevikhoven put A&M ahead, 16-14. A service error put the Bears within 16-15 before A&M used a 6-1 run to pull away, building a 22-16 lead. The teams then traded sideouts for the remainder of the set, with Ammerman getting the match-clinching kill.
A&M hit above .300 in every set and finished the match with a .352 hitting percentage, its second highest hitting percentage of the season. Donaldson, who hit a career-high .643, and Batis each posted three blocks each to lead A&M to a 6-1 advantage in blocks and helping the Aggies hold the Bears to a .230 hitting percentage. Banse led all players with 18 digs, and Batis and libero Kelsey Black added 11 digs each. Schevikhoven dished out 41 assists, the most by an A&M player in a three-set match this season.
Katie Sanders had 12 kills to lead Baylor, which was playing without Big 12 blocking leader Anna Breyfogle, who was missing her fifth match with a shoulder injury. King and Christenson added 10 kills each. King also led the Bears with nine digs. The Bears committed 10 service errors to A&M's three.
"I thought it took a while to get into sync," Corbelli said. "We struggled a little bit early with our defense and our blocking. I thought that they attacked us a little slower than they did the last time. We were expecting it to be a little faster, so our blocking was a little early. We just had to make a few adjustments there, but I thought overall it was one of our best attack nights, hitting .352 for the night. I was really pleased with that. We didn't miss very many serves at all, so overall we are excited that we have moved up another notch in the standings and we are setting our sights on our next match."
A&M concludes a two-match road swing at Oklahoma on Wednesday in Norman. Match time is 7 p.m. at McCasland Field House.
"We always have great battles with that group," Corbelli said. "It's a must-win for us, so we are going to be going for it."
The Aggies return to G. Rollie White Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 22 to host Colorado. It will be "Senior Night", and A&M's three seniors - Darla Donaldson and Jillian Phillips -- will be honored prior to the match, which begins at 6:30 p.m.
The Aggies play their final match at G. Rollie on Wednesday, Nov. 26 against Texas Tech before closing out the regular season at Missouri on Friday, Nov. 28.
